In Washington the minimum caliber for big game is 6mm. I have use of a SIG400 5.56 that a friend uses on deer in his state with no apparent problems due to the .224" bullet. He uses the Nosler bonded core 64 gr, which I understand is designed for the small types of big game. Other than complying with the law, and in the event that I go to my friends state where .22s are allowed for deer, Is there an advantage to getting a new upper in 6/45mm to replace the 5.56 for those times when I'd be deer hunting?

Can it kill a deer? yes, of course, and in UK .223 Remington is legal for our roe deer (actually ONLY in Scotland not in England).

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The roe deer is a relatively small deer, with a body length of 95–135 cm (3.1–4.4 ft), a shoulder height of 65–75 cm (2.1–2.5 ft), and a weight of 15–35 kg (33–77 lb).

On a "big" deer is is advisable? maybe, maybe not. But just because it's possible doesn't mean it's advisable.

Elephant have, supposedly, been shot and killed with .22LR. But it doesn't make it the "go to" calibre for the role.

But IMHO on small deer up to 70lbs weight and with the right bullet and the right range with the right placement your .223 Remington/5.56mm NATO will do the job.

The one advantage I see the 6x45mm has over the 5.56 would be better constructed bullets that will hold together better than a .224 caliber bullet. It is still on the light end of the spectrum for a deer rifle but i'm sure it would work just fine.

You could buy an upper in another caliber such as 6.5 Grendel. Much better deer caliber in my opinion.

A 6x45 at the muzzle has about the same velocity as a 243 Winchester at 100 yards. Many wouldn't think twice about using a 243 at 400 or more yards on deer. The 6x45 would be the same energy at 300.
M

I have been working with a 6x45 barrel on my AR this winter. I shoot 85 grain Sierra HPBT which is a hunting bullet not varmint bullet. I get 2800 fps with a 20" barrel (CFE 223 powder).
Very confident that this is a Deer killing load.
I've used the same bullet in a .243 Win on Deer and it works superb although it was going 3100 fps. I would be confident and comfortable shooting Mule Deer with this to 350 yards or so.
Fun cartridge to play with I'm enjoying mine.

I wanted a 243/20-gauge; the Krieghoff Ultra 20 was out of my price range, and Savage declined to consider one even in the custom shop.
Plan B, a rebored Savage 24V in 6x45 mm, legal anyplace and good enough for antelope and sage grouse.
The usual loads are an 85-grain Partition bullet for Wyoming, an 85-grain XLC at home.

The 6x45 should work very well.

Be sure to get a 1-9 twist or better so you can use bullets optimized for big game.

If one is going to buy an upper, however, take a look at the 6.5 Grendel. This cartridge is good all the way to Elk. The only other change needed would be to get a couple of magazines.

Or, you could get a real hunting rifle in 6x45 or any other caliber instead of playing Rambo with your plastic rat-tat-tat gadget.

That was mean.

Why do you care what kind of weapon other folks use for hunting.... rifle, pistol, bow, or Bowie knife...it's their free time. Who are you to judge how they use it. More hunters is better for us all

And as to the explosion in popularity of the ARs..that a good thing. The more gun owners there are, the more support there is for the 2nd Amendment.

And no, I don't own an AR...just "real hunting rifles".

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Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Or, you could get a real hunting rifle in 6x45 or any other caliber instead of playing Rambo with your plastic rat-tat-tat gadget.

We're coming up on my 50th anniversary of getting on a big bird to go play "Rambo with your plastic rat-tat-tat gadget". But nice of you to remind me of the similarities. by the way, when is Texas becoming part of Mexico?

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Originally posted by olarmy:
That was mean.

Why do you care what kind of weapon other folks use for hunting.... rifle, pistol, bow, or Bowie knife...it's their free time. Who are you to judge how they use it. More hunters is better for us all

And as to the explosion in popularity of the ARs..that a good thing. The more gun owners there are, the more support there is for the 2nd Amendment.

quote:

Originally posted by JASmith:
The 6x45 should work very well.

Be sure to get a 1-9 twist or better so you can use bullets optimized for big game.

The Savage 24V was rifled 1:9.5", so that I could use 85- or 95-grain bullets. It was throated at 3 degrees, same as a 243 Winchester would be.

From actual experience; the .223 or even the .222 with a 55 grain cup and core bullet does the trick on deer. No need for heavy or "PREMIUM bullet. Like any other, it does require the bullet be placed in the proper place. Bigger does not compensate for a bad shot, even if MAGNUM is in the title, even though many seem to promote that idea. Take out an animals heart, liver, or lungs or a combination thereof and all animals, except those that read the internet will die pretty close to where that happened.

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Originally posted by JJB:

quote:

Originally posted by olarmy:
That was mean.

Why do you care what kind of weapon other folks use for hunting.... rifle, pistol, bow, or Bowie knife...it's their free time. Who are you to judge how they use it. More hunters is better for us all

And as to the explosion in popularity of the ARs..that a good thing. The more gun owners there are, the more support there is for the 2nd Amendment.

Plus the animal only gets hit by the bullet. They don't read cartridge head stamps or know if if it was shot from an AR or an Elmer Fudd classic.

The 87 gr. Hornady should also be an excellent deer bullet from a 6x45. We use it quite a bit here in Deep South Texas.
Avoid long range shots. Keep impact velocity above 1700 fps and the 6x45 will perform well.

I have used both .22 Centrefires and a 6x45 extensively on springbuck-sized animals. There are certainly better cartridges, but under the correct conditions these work fine.
However, I would choose the 6x45 in almost every case. Mine shoots 85 gr and 100 gr Nosler Partitions very well (lighter bullets too) and there are numerous others to choose from.
Bullets in the 80gr + bracket are almost always going to work better than those in the 64 gr and lower weights, in my experience.

Ray, I'm going to give an answer different from those above. I, too, live in Washington.

The only deer I ever shot and lost was a North Carolina whitetail. I hit it in the heart/lung area with a .22-250. I know that even a .22LR can kill a deer but how reliably and effectively is another matter. We often hear about clean kills with a .223 but I'm not concerned with the clean kills. I'm concerned with the ones that took multiple shots and the ones that ran off. My gut feeling is that there have been a lot of results like that that people just aren't very willing to share.

I was also considering a 6x45 upper for various reasons. But after some disappointing results with a .243 I changed my mind. Yes, the .243 is often touted as THE deer cartridge, it shoots flat and it did drop the deer and antelope I shot with it, but, with the exception of a perfect heart shot, game I shot with it still had a lot of life left in them. I don't like having to walk up to a deer and finish it off with a pistol. I don't hunt with a .243 anymore.

I have found that calibers larger than .243 and .223 do a better job on game, even if they hit at lower velocities and with less energy. The 25-45 would be a better choice, in my opinion, and 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, or 7.62x39 would be much better choices. The 25-45 is the only one of those that uses standard AR-15 .223 magazines but for hunting you only need two magazines, one for the hunting and a second in case you lose the first. All of the alternatives I mentioned only require switching out the upper.

So, in direct response to your question:

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Is there an advantage to getting a new upper in 6/45mm to replace the 5.56 for those times when I'd be deer hunting?

I think there is a minimal advantage to getting a 6x45 upper to replace your 5.56 upper for deer hunting. But I think there is a significant advantage to getting a 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, or larger upper to replace your 5.56 for deer hunting (and bear or elk hunting).

Heck, if you're going to get a bigger upper, get an upper bigger enough to make a real difference!

A 458 SOCOM would also use the same 5.56 magazine. Out to 150 yards, maybe a touch more it will certainly be enough for deer

Ive shot a number of deer, antelope and PG with both the hi velocity .224s and my 6x45, I can't tell any difference if one uses the right bullet. In the .224s that's the 60 gr. Hornady SP or HP, both work great in any 22..

I shot a 75 gr. GS Customs or the old Barnes X in my 6x45 on such game, and its my preference for no particular reason..

The bottom line is with either you MUST place the bullet in the right spot, behind the shoulder or brain, spine. You have NO ROOM for error with either caliber, and you should limit the range. I limit the range to about 200 yards on deer size game. Your killing with velocity and that goes away as the range gets longer, and your shooting the equivalent of a 22 Hornet petty quick to a 22 L.R. before you know it so to speak.

Both calibers make excellent deer rifle is you use them properly, Lots of folks just can't seem to do that, thus the bad rap they get. Its called discipline, a rare commodity in todays world.